Square Enix has registered the name of what seems to be a sequel, or possibly special edition, to 2011’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

There’s not much to go on here beyond a new trademark, but Square Enix didn’t register the name Deus Ex: Human Defiance by accident. Although exactly what it is for is anyone’s guess.

The trademark was spotted by forum NeoGAF and the only other piece of information to go along with it is that it was filed this week, on February 26. So whatever it is, it suggests work hasn’t been going on for very long.

That would seem to imply that it’s a full blown sequel for the next generation, something that’s been rumoured for some time. But the lack of the number two in the title, and the similarity to the last game’s name, may mean it’s some sort of special edition, possibly for the Wii U and/or PlayStation 4 and new Xbox.

What would appear in a special edition is hard to imagine, although the game did get one fairly substantial story-based expansion in the form of download The Missing Link.

The other alternative is that this is a direct sequel but that Square Enix want to deemphasise its status as a follow-up. That may be because Human Revolution wasn’t nearly as big a hit in the U.S. as it was in Europe, and so advertising it as a sequel could be counterproductive.

That’s just a guess though, and if they’ve only just filed the trademark it could be months or even years before the game’s officially announced. Especially as the same studio is supposed to be working on sister title Thief 4, which despite having been announced back in 2009 still hasn’t been seen in public.